by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

Tyrann Mathieu signed a deal with the Arizona Cardinals that will provide him a bigger overall payout than his slot as the 69th overall pick in the draft dictated while also protecting the team in case of any drug-related relapses.

Lawlor said there's no additional language in the contract about money forfeiture due to a positive drug test. Mathieu will be subject to the same contract rules as "anybody else in the league" as determined by the collective bargaining agreement, though Lawlor has said Mathieu verbally agreed to regular drug tests.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, split up the $662,500 guaranteed bonus Mathieu was slated to receive into a $265,000 signing bonus up front and roster bonuses totaling $397,500 throughout the final three years of the contract.

That structure, as opposed to the full signing bonus most draft picks receive, allows the Cardinals to save money if Mathieu has any personal or drug-related issues throughout the course of the deal.

As long as Mathieu is a solid citizen, he will receive all of the guaranteed money.

"Tyrann's doing really well and the team is really happy with him so far," Lawlor said. "He's done exceptionally well at the OTAs."

Asked if he is pleased with the compromise in structure he and the Cards achieved, Lawlor replied, "Absolutely. We went at it, talking to them the last three weeks. We had great discussions with (general manager) Steve Keim and (director of football operations) Mike Disner. Mike did well, and we all understood this is a great player who is better than the average third-round pick.

"They had needs and so did we and there's a deal in place all sides are happy with."